Press briefing on CTBTO
on-site inspection training
course in Hungary to be
held on 30 October 2007

PI/2007/15

On 30 October 2007, a press briefing on an on-site inspection (OSI) training course will take place at a military training facility near Taborfalva, Hungary.

Marta Fekszi Horvath, Senior Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Jozsef Ronaky, Director General of the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority, will represent the Hungarian Government. Tibor Toth, Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), is also expected to participate.

The training course is being organized by the CTBTO in cooperation with Hungarys Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence and the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority. It will be held in Szolnok and Taborfalva from 21 October to 2 November 2007.

On-site inspections are an essential part of the verification regime the CTBTO is building to monitor the ban on nuclear testing. According to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) on-site inspections are the ultimate means to verify whether or not a nuclear explosion has occurred. They can be invoked after entry into force of the Treaty.

Around 70 experts from States Signatories and the CTBTO will participate in the training course. It is the second part of a training cycle for potential participants to undergo extensive preparation for the oncoming OSI Integrated Field Exercise in 2008 in Kazakhstan (IFE08). A complete on-site inspection will be simulated during that exercise.

The training in Hungary is comprised of five separate courses, including on seismic techniques, geophysical techniques, radiation measurements, visual observation and logistics and administration. The main objective of the training is to familiarize potential IFE08 participants with relevant equipment and procedures. The training is also expected to provide feedback for the further development of standard operating procedures for on-site inspections. Results will be integrated into the development of the on-site inspection operational manual.

Towards the end of the training course, participants are expected to carry out a small but comprehensive inspection exercise according to a scenario that they will have developed as part of the course.